‘Raised Around Rio’ returns

Raised Around Rio market organizer and vendor Jennifer Littlejohn (right) greets a patron at her booth at the village’s farmer’s market on Wednesday. The village farm, craft and artisan market of Rio Grande continuing every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. until Sept. 26 in Rio Grande, Ohio.

Scott Jones | OVP

RIO GRANDE — Raised Around Rio has blossomed into its third year as the village farm, craft and artisan market of Rio Grande continuing every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. until Sept. 26.

According to market organizer Jennifer Littlejohn, the market will also feature a special added event this season, in conjunction with the Bob Evans Farm Festival, from 8 a.m. until noon on Oct. 13.

Since its inception in 2016, the market has grown from roughly eight vendors to over twice that number in a span of just three summers.

“We usually operate the event with between 15 to 23 vendors,” Littlejohn said. “We aren’t just a farmers market, but an artisan market as well. We don’t just feature food items, we have a variety of local products.”

Currently, produce is not as available as other items, said Littlejohn, but as vendors are able to harvest, produce will appear.

An assortment of crafted items are currently available along with food products such as cheese, bread, jams and jellies.

Littlejohn, a crafter of soaps, salves and lotions, has been practicing her art for the last five years. She grows her own herbs and infuses her concoctions with herbs and locally produced goat milk.

According to Rio Grande Mayor Matt Easter, the event is not only a setting to showcase the wares of community members but a place of community fellowship and interaction.

“No one is out here making a fortune,” Easter said. “This provides a great deal in the way for the community to get to talk to one another and know each other. It’s truly a social gathering place. It showcases are local products that are available. There are a lot of talented people here in this area and this gives them the opportunity to show just how much we have to offer in Gallia and its neighboring counties.”

The market is held near the Ohio Valley Bank extension office, pinched between the North College Avenue intersection with West College and North Atwood streets in Rio Grande.

For more information or questions about how to join, look for the Raised Around Rio Facebook page.

Raised Around Rio market organizer and vendor Jennifer Littlejohn (right) greets a patron at her booth at the village’s farmer’s market on Wednesday. The village farm, craft and artisan market of Rio Grande continuing every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. until Sept. 26 in Rio Grande, Ohio.

https://www.mydailysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2018/06/web1_6.28-Littlejohn.jpgRaised Around Rio market organizer and vendor Jennifer Littlejohn (right) greets a patron at her booth at the village’s farmer’s market on Wednesday. The village farm, craft and artisan market of Rio Grande continuing every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. until Sept. 26 in Rio Grande, Ohio. Scott Jones | OVP